The GuavaPass Hong Kong team jump right into it (pun totally intended) to celebrate this momentous occasion! We speak to Lucia Tam, a former professional dancer with a multitude of fitness training qualifications, who educates us on the health benefits of rebounding. We discover that not only is it a high intensity workout, but it’s also low-impact in that it absorbs up to 85% of the shock!

What inspired you to set this up in HK?

I decided to set this up because I found that a lot of people just went ahead and indulged in exercises in a manner that they deemed fit, but not what is necessarily right for their body. I want to educate others on exercising daily and correctly so as not to injure themselves.

Does anyone else do this in Asia?

When we first started no, not in Asia – but I am sure there will be a few popping up!

You must get this question a lot. What is the difference between a rebounder and trampoline?

Rebounders are mini-trampolines built for 1-2 person. It’s a compact mini trampoline with a little more density in the middle so that you use resistance to help you exercise instead of buoyancy on the big trampolines. Rebounders are used for fitness and rehabilitation or training prop for sports training.

Trampolines are usually rectangular, square-sized, or come in one massive big floor of it! It’s usually held by beams and springs and the buoyancy of the trampolines is much more so that you can jump higher. Mainly used for gymnasts and trampolinists and recreational theme parks.

What are the health benefits associated with “rebounding”?

NASA has done several studies on rebounding and agree with Albert E. Carter (who is recognised as one of the world’s greatest authority on Rebound Exercise) that “rebounding is the best exercise for mankind”. They also use it in their astronauts program to rehabilitate their muscle mass after they come back from space. In fact, there are many articles and books on the health benefits of rebounding. Some benefits include the following:

Boosts lymphatic drainage and immune function

Great for skeletal system and increasing bone mass

Helps improve digestion

More than twice as effective as running without the extra stress on the ankles and knees

Increases endurance on a cellular level by stimulating mitochondrial production (these are responsible for cell energy)

Helps improve balance by stimulating the vestibule in the middle ear

Helps improve the effects of other exercise- one study found that those who rebounded for 30 seconds between weight lifting sets saw 25% more improvement after 12 weeks than those who did not

Rebounding helps circulate oxygen throughout the body to increase energy

Rebounding in a whole body exercise that improves muscle tone throughout the body

Some sources claim that the unique motion of rebounding can also help support the thyroid and adrenals

Rebounding is fun!

How many calories can one expect to burn in a class?

It really depends on the person, if they are tired or if it is too hard of a class. Do they push themselves? I rigorously tested our Airbounce class and pushed myself to burn 998 calories in one hour! But after that, I was exhausted! Therefore in an average class you can expect to burn 400-600 calories, and if you push yourself harder then obviously you will burn more. Still, the amount of calories you burn is much higher then other normal exercise routines that will burn under 500 calories.

Which classes do you recommend? Are they suitable for all?

At BounceLimit every class has its own unique functions and greatness. The workouts incorporate stability, core and muscle toning making it suitable for both men and women, whether you’re looking to lose weight, bulk up or tone. For an urban athlete I would suggest to try all and rotate them around to form a routine. When you get bored, just change it up – your body will love it! You can exercise without hurting yourself and improve your health at the same time.

I particularly LOVED the Halloween LED class! Can you tell us more about it?

The Halloween LED class is a one off and we thought it would be fun to make it LED, which is one of our programs. We shut off the lights and turn on the LED imbedded underneath the trampolines; and we play games to the different coloured lights. With EDM, pop and top chart music blaring, it’s a fun way for you and your friends to get together and complete your workout regimen simultaneously!

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done on a trampoline?

I was hanging out on a film set with 300 stuntmen who were in training and also had a massive trampoline. I was casually bouncing on it at first, but when I attempted a flip, I flipped right off it and landed on the mat! Needless to say it was rather embarrassing and also quite painful at the same time. Luckily I didn’t break anything and I made Gerard Butler laugh! 🙂

Wow, that was lucky indeed! Have there been any casualties?

Not yet. Touch wood!

Lastly, which direction is BounceLimit taking? I understand you are looking to do more rehabilitation classes?

BounceLimit is not just about fun and fad – rebounding is a cell-exerise that helps our cells and our internal body regenerate faster while it helps us detox and rebuild our system. Every jump we take we enforce it with gravity and G-force. Once integrated with our landing we then use our muscles to oppose it and build strength, speed and agility on the rebounder all at once. Everything just multiples on the rebounder and at the same time when a person comes in with injuries, they need not worry about exacerabating these further as the rebounder will shock absorb the weight and release a safe and pain free workout.

At the same time rebounding has proven to health specialist that it can help children with disabilities too. BounceLimit holds the certification for Rebound Therapy from UK to help children with disabilities including autism, speech therapy, cerebral palsy, hypertone or hypo tone syndromes and more.

Any expansion plans on the horizon?

Many!

Can’t wait to hear more of what sounds like the beginning of an incredible journey! We hope that GuavaPass and BounceLimit will be able to grow together from strength to strength in the future. In the meantime, Guava members – come check it out!

Happy 1yr Anniversary to one of our newest studio partners in Hong Kong, BounceLimit! was last modified: June 8th, 2016 by Antonia Da Cruz

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Of Portuguese and Singaporean descent, Antonia previously spent 6.5 years in equity research & sales and banking, but left the corporate world in search of something more fulfilling. She currently manages the Hong Kong operations for GuavaPass and is always on the look out for a new challenge!